Guest

I wanted to know what the advantages of a crt project and lcd/dlp projector are? im new to this and i read the av fax page so dont link me there. I might ask some ignorant questions but just bare with me. Im interested in buying a video projector for my home under $1,000. I dont mind second hand but I have no idea what brands are good and which ones I should stay away from. Also how big are most the pictures put out by the projector, 8 feet wide? Last question is how much distance to I need from the screen and the projector or whats recommened? Thanks in advance.

regarding CRT/LCD differences, there's tons of info. Here's a quickie (all generalisations, there are notable and honourable exceptions to all points);

CRT will give you a better (more film-like) image with no pixelation
LCD will give you a brighter picture
LCDs are small and portable, CRTs are big and heavy
CRTs requires a fair degree of setting up and some onging maintenance/calibration
CRTs give better/deeper blacks, LCDs can look grey
CRTs dont have bulbs to blow
CRT tubes wear out over time and are expensive to replace
CRTs require some form of scaling to work at their best
CRTs support multiple resolutions & refresh rates, LCDs tend to offer best performance at a number of fixed points.
New CRTs are very expensive
Used CRTs are very cost effctive!

Others will probably offer advice on brands but Sony, barco and NEC seem to be the most popular on here. Very important to get a Graphics or data model, not Video.

Depending on tube size (7,8 or 9 inch) and environmental conditions, picture size will avry. With a CRT, the bigger the screen, the less bright the image becomes. Screen material can compensate for this somewhat. I'm running a Sony 1271 on a 9' wide 16:9 screen in a totally light-controlled room with excellent results.

Distance will depend directly on screen size and varies from projector to projector. As an example, the front of my CRT is sited just over 9' from the screen. (see pictures on my site, linked below)

In terms of your budget, I'm sure you can pick up a decent CRT for that. bear in mind, however, you will need a screen, scaler or HTPC (home theater PC), sound system etc.

Pay particular attention to posts by Roland or Gordon on these foums. They dedicate a huge amount of time here and will not put you wrong.

Guest

thanks for replying. I already bought my lcd projector though tonight. Its a panasonic pt-l592u. I got it for $750. Hopefully the picture is good, I think it will be i saw a screenshot from it. Its just going to be used in a blacked out room to play video games and watch movies on. Ill be running a 4:3 instead of a 16:9 though.

were you get your black out blinds? I was ethier going to look for blinds like that or get a good curtain to cover up my windows. But your setup looks incredible. You said you didnt like the setup of the coaches now you should just turn them to face the screen or maybe even think about building a platform for the back half the room and then adding too more coaches in the back giving it a movie theather row affect. Just some thoughts.

Guest

do you have any video games setup for the screen or just your dvds?? Cause we have a 61" widescreen television and whenever I plug up the playstation to it doesnt look that good in 16:9 format. So Im debating with going with the 4:3 or 16:9

Active Member

black-out blinds are from Velux, they are Velux roof windows. if you have regular windows, your local fabric upply shop will supply black out material (soem people even use this for projections screens!)

I occasionally use PS2 on teh big screen. i have no problesm with it at all at that size or in the 16:9 ratio.

Active Member

The question is - are CRTs worth the trouble? I will be buying a projector in a few months time and have only read about CRT - I've not seen them in action. Is the picture quality sufficiently better than LCD/DLP to go the CRT route with the extra hassle it seems to involve?

Active Member

You should try to see a properly set-up CRT in action before you make your decision.

If you compare a CRT to a cheaper LC (sony cineza for example), the difference is day and night. As you get up to better quality LDC/DLP, it really comes down to personal choice.

I got my CRT for about £1,000 and would be happy to compare it on most levels to a SIM 300 I recently saw. Yes, that unit was smaller and had higher output but in all other ways, my CRT in a light controlled room was comparable if not superior to that £8,000 unit!

If you're afraid of the set-up and convergence issues, you might want to think again about CRT but don't decide until you see one.

Active Member

Getting to see a properly setup CRT will be difficult. We're not too well endowed with AV dealers in Newcastle and the ones we do have tend to sell LCD/DLP. I would love to see them back to back but I'm not sure how to go about this.

If anyone has any suggestions, I would be grateful. I would be prepared to travel if neccesary.